Living Without Meat

It’s the end of the year - but I’m fairly sure that you already knew that. You have probably also noticed that writers are enjoying writing year end lists right now. Top 100 …, Best of …, and Year in Review for 2007 have been running rampant throughout every magazine, TV gossip show, and, of course, blog.

I tried, but failed, to resist jumping on the bandwagon. So here it is, on the last day of 2007, I bring you the first half of my review of the best of the top occurrences for the year of 2007.

Vegetarian and Animal Rights References on TV Shows in 2007

10. The Today Show featured a segment about ideas for going vegetarian with your Christmas meal.

9. Several reality-based shows had vegetarian stars/guests/whatever you call those kooks. Many were a bit confused, but still got the veggie perspective in the TV limelight. On MTV’s A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila Amanda, a veg for 10+ years, eats the man parts of a bull. Vegetarians Jennie Garth (photo 1) and Heather Mills both show of that veg heads can have grace and athletic strength on seasons 5 and 4 of Dancing with the Stars. On an episode of dating show Girl Meets Cowboy, a vegetarian woman said this about being taken on a date to brand a cow: “I LOVE animals, but I’m really excited for this experience.” Another contestant broke down crying, and stated that she could not and would not do that to an animal. Lacey (photo 2), from Rock of Love with Bret Michaels, wheres PETA shirts - positive. Negative, though - she gets in drunken, screaming, sloppy fights about animal rights.

8. PETA’s sexiest vegetarian contest stirred up lots of TV spots. Plenty of gossip-type news shows mentioned it (such as Access Hollywood), but the main features included the two winner: Jay Leno campaigned for his musical sidekick Kevin Eubanks on The Tonight Show, and Carrie Underwood was recognized on Country Music Television.

7. Longtime vegan, environmentalist, and activist Ed Begley, Jr. gets his own reality show - Living With Ed - based on his home life with his wife, daughter, and extremely green home life.

6. PETA Founder and President Ingrid Newkirk’s story - I Am an Animal - airs on HBO.

… more to come!

I have already declared my personal preference against fake fur, but in case you need one more reason to sway away from the fashion faux pas check out this timeline of disturbing facts:

* Winter, 2006: Humane Society (HSUS) tests 25 fur-trimmed coats from 25 different designers. All are found to be falsely advertised, falsely labeled, and/or unlabeled.

* December, 2006: Sean “Diddy” Combs’s clothing line gets caught lying in advertising and on labels. Though using raccoon dog (shown here), Sean John jackets claim everything from “faux fur” to “coyote.”

* January, 2007: Jay-Z’s clothing line is found to advertise fake, forgo label, and use raccoon dog. Jacket shown below is from Rocawear.

* February, 2007: The Dog and Cat Fur Prohibition Act is introduced and referred to several House Committees.

* March, 2007: Fourteen major retailers are taken before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by the HSUS for false advertising and labeling. While many shrug it off, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger announce that they will go completely fur-free.

* March, 2007: Results of a two year investigation into “faux” fur by the HSUS make primetime news across the U.S., revealing that many labels have been falsely advertised and labeled. Reports state that many top designers are actually using cat and dog fur from China, and marking it as “faux,” “raccoon,” or other animals.

* December, 2007: HSUS follows up with retailers and designers and finds that many have not addressed their deceptive nature regarding fur. Stores including Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor, Dillard’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Yoox.com are named outright as ones who have been alerted to their misleading fashions, and yet have not made a change.

…and this only begins to touch on the faux versus real battle. The Humane Society is working hard, but current legislation only requires proper labeling for animal fur in excess of $150 retail value (which is how and why so many fur-trim jackets are the hot debate topic).

Help the HSUS in their fight for the animals. TAKE ACTION NOW!

Over the holiday weekend I made up a ravely reviewed vegan casserole that, although it pains my currently queasy stomach to do so, simply must be shared.

My inspiration came from normal lasagna and baked ziti, and vegan ricotta made from tofu.

Here’s my creation (just keep in mind that I already don’t tend towards measurements, and with an upset stomach, I really don’t want to focus on the food):

Sally’s People Pleasing Vegan Pasta

* Make half of this vegan ricotta recipe. It calls for a mix of tofu textures, but I used all soft which created a smoother, more alfredo-like sauce.

* Cook about half of a box of tubular pasta

* Defrost 1/3 package frozen spinach, or saute some fresh leaves

* In a large casserole dish, combine: tofu ricotta sauce, cooked pasta, and spinach with one package any flavor shredded soy cheese (I used cheddar), 1 can diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, garlic, and basil. Stir, stir, stir!

* Top with more soy cheese, spices, and perhaps some bread crumbs. Cook low - around 300 F - for 45 mins to an hour.

Yum! This is the one time that you will be truly happy with soy cheese’s performance. It gets super creamy in the middle and makes a perfect crispiness for the top layer. We served it with sourdough bread toasted with oil. Mom said it was “so filling and good,” and Dad proclaimed that had I not “told him ahead of time what was in it, he totally would have thought it was real food!” Two thumbs up all around.

Let me know if you try it, or if you tried a veg*n recipe out on your family this holiday season! E-mail your story to livingwithoutmeat at gmail dot com.

Christina Applegate has made a great comeback with this season’s Samantha Who?, and she’s been gracing as many magazine pages as she has primetime TV screens. With this holiday anti-fur ad prominently displayed in the likes of TV Guide and People, my guess is that millions of people have already saw PETA and Christina’s animal support. But click on Ms. Applegate to send her off to your friends. Also check out PETA’s several other holiday e-cards because it’s never too late to send animal-friendly cheer! Merry Christmas!

Eggs just don’t seem like something that you should ever drink. Thus, I have never tried egg nog, not even in my lacto-ovo meat-atarian days; and thus, I have no clue what it is supposed to taste like and how one would go about making a vegan version.

So if you so desire to knock-off this interesting holiday beverage, creating a salmonella-free version, then please direct your attention to Compassion Over Killing’s recipe:

COK’S EGG-FREE EGG NOG

for 5 servings:

* 1 qt soymilk
* 6 oz tofu, extra firm
* 6 tbs maple syrup
* 1/4 cup Amaretto, Southern Comfort, brandy, alcohol of choice …
* 2 tsp vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp cardamom
* 1/4 tsp nutmeg
* 1/4 tsp ground cloves

In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and blend until creamy and smooth. Chill before serving.

This photo shows a drink of the noggy inspiration sprinkled with nutmeg and stirred with a cinnamon stick. Check out this and COK’s other holiday vegan tasties.

Don’t forget about checking out their Veg Starter Kit - it comes with a recipe book replete with their yummy ideas!

In case you need one more reason to try a vegetarian diet …

Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed a case of mad cow disease in Alberta, Canada. It is the 11th case found in Alberta since May 2003.

The poor, sick Bessie was a 13 year old from an unidentified farm. Her age is important (legally speaking) because feed ban and regulations were not set in place in Canada until 1997, when she was already 3.

The CFIA expected this, and expects to continue to find cases over the next ten years - don’t worry, they are guessing that the number will be a low one.

So what are you having for dinner? I bet that veggie burger is looking less and less crazy.

mad cow disease, canada mad cow

Imagine for just a moment, if you can without losing your vegan lunch, that you are fur-loving fashion designer Zac Posen (shown here). Can you do it? What, as Mr. Posen, could you imagine to be your worst PR-related nightmare?

Would it be PETA running a smear campaign stating that “Posen’ in someone else’s fur makes you a poser”? (I made this one up)

How about if fashionable, vegan celebrities like Eva Mendes publicly denounced fur and all designers who still use the inhumane fluff?

I’ve got one that can top anything you probably dreamed up …

Susan Posen, Zac’s mommy and company CEO, recently changed her phone number. PETA recently got a new phone number for their New York office.

With me so far?

It just so happens, that Susan’s old number is PETA’s new number, and now conversations like this frequently occur:

Caller: Hi, Is Ms. Posen there?

PETA: Actually … “Animals are strangled, electrocuted, and even skinned alive for every piece of fur. Please do not buy anything from Zac Posen until he stops using fur!”

The caller probably hangs up at this point. Though some of these callers are press reporters. The NY Daily News reported on their encounter with this wrong number.

Look what I happened upon while perusing the Humane Society’s Web site: That’s Miss Amy Smart! You may recognize this actress from some of her more popular films such as Just Friends, The Butterfly Effect, Road Trip, and Varsity Blues.

But what you may not know (I certainly didn’t) is that she is an outspoken animal rights activist.

Here’s what the Humane Society says about Amy and the $28 anti-fur shirt that she is modeling, which you can purchase by clicking on the photo above:

Fur Free Zone Tee

Share your compassion for fur-free fashion! The Fur Free Zone(TM) slogan was originally created for an HSUS anti-fur campaign with a mission to unite fashion and designers for this important cause. Shown here on a tonal tie-dyed tee in a form-fitted silhouette, this great fashion tee has bronze stud details and 3/4 sleeves. Modeled by actress Amy Smart who is an animal activist and shares her home with her cat, Yogi.

If you are one who celebrates Christmas, then I hope you the spirit is moving your way, brightening your days and your heart. I spent time Monday evening decorating and wrapping gifts (creatively as I was sans wrapping paper); after having spent a previous weekend making homemade cards.

Now if you have ever donated even one dollar to an organization, then you understand this - during Christmas, and the end of the year in general, every charity reminds you that it is your last chance to make year end donations for the tax year. They try to do so creatively if they are smart, and your name has also likely been passed around to similar non-profits.

That being said, I received my annual Christmas cheer package from the Humane Society the other day (and promptly misplaced it) filled with animal-covered paper, cards, stickers, and more.

The card that you see here - Sprinkles the pig on the front with “Celebrating all life this holiday season.” and Sprinkles’ story on the back - is Farm Sanctuary’s holiday greetings that I wanted to share with you in case you didn’t receive a copy in the mail.

Stay tuned: I’m collecting lots of vegetarian and animal-friendly online holiday greeting cards for you to send your friends and family. It’s a perfect, easy way to drop a reminder about loving ALL of God’s creatures.

Project Blog will be taking a holiday break, but until then, voting for this week has been extended for an extra day since results are so close - and I am one of the ones hanging in between getting points and not.

So… please VOTE FOR ME in Project Blog

When I spoke previously about the Elephant Sanctuary, I hinted at the fact that I have a thing for the ginormous mammals. Truth is, I love them and regard them as some of my favorite animals (which I’m sure you can imagine is a hard list to qualify).

What I have not ever mentioned, is the fact that a number of circuses - Ringling Bros. in particular - have a documented history of extreme animal abuse and neglect, especially towards their elephants.

PETA has a campaign to help reveal the truth behind the three rings and tents, but the most inspirational testimonies by far come from those that have worked at a circus, and left due to the horrific things that they witnessed.

Archele Hundley, a former Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus employee, is the most recent to speak out. She has created a PSA, which you can watch here below.

Watch more videos at PETA.org.

In case you have difficulty viewing the video, here are some highlights from Circuses.com:

“I saw handlers deliver a beating … for 30 minutes. She was covered with bloody wounds. I’ll never forget her agonizing screams,” says Hundley.

She also witnessed:

* An elephant beaten with bullhooks so severely in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2006 that she bled profusely and cried out in pain.

* A trainer viciously whipped a camel and punched a miniature horse in the face.

* Trainers jabbed horses with pitchforks and gave them extremely painful “lip twists” to force the animals to obey commands.

* An elephant with painful arthritis was kept on the road.

“The abuse was not just once in a while—it occurred every day,” says Hundley. “The elephants, horses, and camels were hit, punched, beaten, and whipped by everyone from the head of animal care down to inexperienced animal handlers hired out of homeless shelters.”

Archele says that she repeatedly complained to circus management about the abuse to no avail, prompting her to quit in disgust.

Thanks for taking the time to educate yourself! CLICK HERE for a list of animal-free circus fun!

I’ve got some lyrical inspiration for you this morning (or evening, depending on where you are and when you are reading). Long time vegetarian and animal advocate Paul McCartney wrote this post-Beatles number for his 1993 solo album Off the Ground:

LOOKING FOR CHANGES

I saw a cat with a machine in his brain
The man who fed him said
He didn’t feel any pain
I’d like to see that man take out that machine
And stick it in his own brain
You know what I mean

I saw a rabbit with its eyes full of tears
The lab that owned her had
Been doing it for years
Why don’t we make them pay for every last eye
That couldn’t cry its own tears
Do you know what I mean?

When I tell you that we’ll all be
Looking for changes
Changes in the way we treat our fellow creatures
And we will learn how to grow

Well I tell you that we’ll all be
Looking for changes
Changes in the way we treat our fellow creatures
And we will learn how to grow
When we’re looking for changes

I saw a monkey that was learning to choke
A guy beside him gave him cigarettes to smoke
And every time that monkey started to cough
The bastard laughed his head off
Do you know what I mean?

When I tell you that we’ll all be
Looking for changes
Changes in the way we treat our fellow creatures
And we will learn how to grow

When we’re looking for changes
We’re looking for changes
We’re looking for changes
We’re looking for changes in the way we are

paul mccartney, looking for changes lyrics, paul mccartney lyrics, animal rights song

The Farm Sanctuary Charity Auction that I mentioned last week will be closing today. So jump in with you final bids!

A copy of Season 1 of Dharma and Greg on DVD, signed and personalized by Jenna Elfman is currently the lowest priced auction item with a bid of $75.

A Private DJ lesson and autographed CD from Princess Superstar - shown here, click the picture to bid - has yet to be bid on. Opening bid is $250.

Visit with David Duchovny on the set of Californication is raking in the most with a current bid placed of $5,000, but two tickets and backstage passes to a Carlos Santana concert has the most bids with 13 people battling over the experience.

Check out all there is to bid on; it seems perhaps some new ones have been added!

Volunteering (or donating in other ways such as clothing you no longer wear) never goes out of style. Here are two great celebrities who should thoroughly be recognized for their recent time spent serving up hot meals in soup kitchens:

Adrian Grenier spent time this week at Neighbors Together Soup Kitchen in Brooklyn, New York, as he shown doing here with none other than his mommy!

I know Adrian from soy-cheeseball movies like Drive Me Crazy co-starring Melissa “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” Joan Hart, and The Devil Wears Prada. He was a lead in HBO’s Entourage, is a musician, and directs and produces documentaries in his free time.

Another celeb who has been out dipping her hands into other people’s food, is Pamela Anderson. She went, with/for PETA to a Las Vegas homeless shelter, to celebrate an early, turkey-free Thanksgiving. If you enjoy laughing due to catching funny looks on people’s faces … then check out photos of the event on Jack’s PETA blog.

Pam made crafts with the kids - and one little girl got caught giving her a “what is that supposed to be?” look. And of course, there’s a great pic of an older man staring … well, I’m sure you can guess what he is staring at.

I give six cheers, two thumbs up, and fourteen claps of my hands (as my 2-year-old nephew who is learning to count would say) to these two who should inspire you all to get out there. Time, not money, is the most important donation that you can offer someone this holiday season.

pamela anderson, pam anderson, adrian grenier, adrien grenier, melissa joan hart, celebriteis at soup kitchens, volunteer at a soup kitchen, celebrities volunteering

It is a basic reality that you need some money in life to pay for things like rent, food, and student loans. Currently, my job (plus my two side jobs) is not covering these life necessities. I’ve never been one to set New Year’s resolutions; however, hunger pains, this week’s Project Blog challenge, and the horoscope that I just read for fun - “All the wishing and wanting is about to pay off.” – have inspired me to set a goal for the upcoming year.

I hope that you can tell that I am actually a writer - as in that’s my daytime job, and that’s what I went to school to study. I love to write (hence two blogs) and always have. Thus, a lot of my goals come from childhood dreams that involve the written word and my being creative with it. Here are just a few:

1. Work at a magazine. Check. During college, I interned for six months, full time at Philadelphia Style Magazine

2. Be published. In today’s world, this has a much looser definition. Technically, I am published every time I write online. But, because of several experiences including the above, my work and my name have been in ink.

3. Write a novel that is successfully turned into a movie. So far away from this one, but it remains on my list because I know that I will be there one day.

4. Find a nice boy, fall in love, get married, have wonderful and beautiful babies (wait, that has nothing to do with writing. Hmm…) and write my own wedding vows.

If a novel is my main writing dream left to conquer, should I set the goal this year to dive in and start writing a page a night? Unfortunately, I know myself and know that this won’t work with my knitting-addicted, lazy butt that has to work non-stop just to make ends (almost) meet. Instead, I want to take it one (smaller) step at a time: find a full-time job that recognizes and respects my talent. In this instance, though I’m rarely one to chase the dollar, I’m talking about paycheck recognition.

I want a company to show me the money!

By this time in 2008, I will be in a position where I am able to work my 40 hours. Then, come home and write rather than run off to another moneymaking opportunity. I will earn a raise or accept a new, better-paying job: that is my goal for 2008.

Like this post? GO VOTE FOR ME in Project Blog!